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The Jester
The Jester is the fourth part in the Loaded March series. It was uploaded to Archive of Our Own on September 27, 2011. It consists of 43,740 words. Read it here. Summary The Jester has resurfaced, but the Directory wants to get their hands on him before the CIA does. Excalibur faces an entirely different level of danger that Arthur worries he hasn't prepared them for. Merlin is terrified - not that he doesn't think he can't protect his team, but of what will happen if he does. Plot The Directory want Excalibur to take out "Trickler", so they fly them to Algiers undercover. Merlin and Arthur probably would have had sex in the hotel if Uther hadn't rung Arthur. Everyone at the club flirts with Merlin - Arthur doesn't like this. Arthur gets put under a compulsion but Merlin gets him out of it. Excalibur end up in a fight with Trickler and his goons using magic against them. Merlin gets attacked and caught, and barely escapes with his life. After the team gets back from R&R, Arthur pushes his team like crazy, upping their PT time. The team finally revolts, and Merlin and Arthur show them the videos of Trickler doing magic and the American Special Forces team getting blown to pieces by some magical force. (Around this time Arthur is getting more and more suspicious about whether or not Merlin has magic.) The team, mildly freaked out, discuss magic. Bohrs is an idiot. Merlin feels like an outsider and almost tells Perce and Arthur that he has magic. In this part, we also meet Gilli Merriam, an annoying little shit whose job is to look after the crack box that Merlin built. Merlin gives him the break down on the box, and Gilli is already annoying. Bayard and Arthur have a little chat about magic, the Directory, and missions. Then Bayard meets the team and is way too curious about Merlin. Bayard gives the team a mission: get Sam Trickler. The team heads to Algiers to attend a gala for weapons dealers. Arthur and Merlin go undercover as a couple, with Arthur being the dominant personality in their relationship. Merlin is the tech genius who has been couch surfing Europe and has ended up on Arthur's. Upon seeing Merlin in his new 'uniform' (clothing that is a bit too tight), Arthur cannot control himself and marks Merlin. (Merlin dies a little with want.) At the party, everyone takes interest in Arthur, since he is well-known as their of Pendragon Consulting and is now on the badside of his father. People slowly take interest in Merlin as they discover (through members of MI-5) how much of a tech genius Merlin is. Merlin scares the shite out of one lady when he talks about cracking all of the phones at the gala. Arthur is possessive and keeps Merlin on a short leash. Trickler takes an interest in Merlin and is a bit intimidated by Arthur, especially when Arthur starts to egg Trickler on. Trickler puts a compulsion on Arthur, but Merlin helps out. When Arthur leaves after putting Trickler in his place, Trickler follows. Cue car chase and magic fight. Excalibut, without magical backup, is in trouble. Merlin gets taken and is severely hurt, but Merlin still manages to work some magic to save his team. Arthur is devastated when he gets Merlin back and won't let anyone carry Merlin but himself. After Merlin is patched up, we end with a little UST. Quotes ''Arthur was mad for Merlin. It wasn't the sort of attraction that resulted from the need for a one-nght pull, either. It was grown out of trust, reliance, familiarity, friendship (however rocky), and love, though the last one boggled Arthur's mind. Love. --'' Arthur thinking about Merlin . Series Timeline Category:Parts